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03/18/2004 Archived Entry: "ACLU Action Alert"
ACLU Action Alert
This one's pretty important.
Attorney General John Ashcroft is asking the Federal Communications Commission for sweeping new authority to regulate the design of Internet communications services to make them easy to wiretap.If implemented, this Ashcroft plan would dramatically increase the government’s surveillance power and risk making surveillance and privacy violations much more widespread. It would force technology companies to build “backdoors” in their systems for wiretapping and thereby create weaknesses that hackers, thieves and rogue government agents could exploit to invade your privacy and conduct identity theft.
The government already has more than enough power to spy on individuals suspected of wrongdoing. This measure is the equivalent of requiring all new homes be built with a peephole for law enforcement agents to look through.
A sweeping increase in law enforcement’s surveillance powers such as this should be reviewed by Congress, not issued by fiat by the Justice Department with the approval of the FCC. This is especially important since this Department of Justice has demonstrated it has little respect for privacy rights and instead wants to dramatically increase surveillance of regular people.
Take Action! Tell the FCC that you oppose these new wiretapping requirements.
Replies: 6 people speak up
I think the best way to handle this sort of thing is to say: OK, sure, that'll come in handy when we're back in power. And, by the way, I'm not kidding. It would be nice to know what these fucks are up to.
(See how scary we can be when we try?)
Posted by richard @ 03/18/2004 03:37 PM NY
I guess it never really occured to Ashcroft that internet legislation in this country won't mean fuck all if the rest of the world refuses to adopt it. Yah, lets just go ahead and change all the internet protocols to make them less secure, which would in turn lead to cyber-terrorism, etc.. My, I feel safer already.
Posted by djdissent @ 03/18/2004 04:00 PM NY
"How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. But at any rate they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to." G. Orwell 1984
Posted by Damfa @ 03/18/2004 04:09 PM NY
What a great idea! This way the FBI and its contractors at Halliburton can have direct access to my bank account through online banking rather than waiting for Bush to rob it through the Treasury.
Posted by George Johnston @ 03/18/2004 08:02 PM NY
This is nuts. In addition to the obvious privacy concerns, it would slow down any advances in Internet technology. American companies developing new hardware and software would have to deal with all the new FDA requirements. Other countries could get a big technological edge, developing products more quickly.
There would be huge reliability issues and problems with compatibility, etc.
Not only is Ashcroft a dictator-in-waiting, but he's technologically illiterate.
Posted by Joseph Yaroch @ 03/19/2004 02:20 AM NY
Having been hacked for four years
by criminals using the internet to
send me threatening messages (via email) and having full knowledge of ALL my online activities, I welcome the government getting involved.Why?
Because right now it is the wild west. Criminal organizations are taking FULL advantage of the present NO RULES enviroment.
...AND (as of now) no one has interceded.
Believe me you have to go through it to understand.
Look up keystroke hacking.
That's what the bastards CAN and WILL do to you if you are a threat
to their BUSINESS.
A well know loud mouth (claiming persecution) is actively employing
the above (and other treats) to cover up a major felony.
Hope the story breaks to shed a light on him and other scumbags.
Posted by Joe Friday @ 03/20/2004 12:31 AM NY
